Soil Reinforcement

The Ministry of Textiles in India has launched TechnoTex (www.technotex.gov.in) to better promote the Indian technical textiles industry and to facilitate education in this ever expanding area of manufacturing. The website is divided into various zones, such as GeoTech (which includes the geosynthetic sector), BuildTech (for architectural uses) and AgroTech (for agriculture). Learn more here.;

Presenters and paper topics for GeoAfrica 2009 (2-5 September 2009, Cape Town, South Africa) have been posted at the conference website. It is an interesting mix and bodes well for discussion. View it online today. Learn more here.;

Vice President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that the Department of Transportation has jumpstarted more than 10,000 transportation projects across America thanks to its swift allocation of Recovery Act dollars. As of this week, state agencies reported a total of 10,041 approved. Read more.

Civil engineers and construction professionals will meet international speakers, network with top-tier geohydraulics solutions companies, acquire practical engineering information to implement immediately, and have the opportunity to take part...

In advance of the publication of the half-year figures on Thursday, 26 August 2010 and on the basis of provisional results, TenCate announces that its operating result (EBIT) amounts to approximately € 27 million in the second quarter of 2010 (second quarter of 2009: € 11.1 million). The operating result for the first six months of 2010 doubled to an amount of approximately € 33 million. Taking incidental items into account, net profit too doubled in the first half year to approximately € 19 million. Within this, the company reports significant improvement from its Geosynthetics and Grass division. Read more.

EPI lauches the Liner Letter designed to keep you informed of ongoing developments in PVC geomembranes and current activities at EPI.

By Chris Kelsey – This is Part 2 of 2 of a profile. Part 1, based on an interview with HUESKER North America’s first president, Tom Collins, looks at...

By Chris Kelsey - Annually, Geosynthetics International names a best paper from the journal's previous volume. This allows the judging to take place carefully with the full year's published...

Advance registration ends 30 November 2008 for the Transportation Research Board (TRB) 88th Annual Meeting. The event will takes place 11-15 January 2009 in Washington DC. More than 10,000 transportation policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, and representatives of government, industry, and academic institutions are expected to attend. Learn more here.;

Job: Senior Sales Executive/Asst.Sales Manager. Location: Ahmedabad, Cuttack, Delhi, Mumbai. Company: Garware Wall Ropes Ltd (Geosynthetic Division). Experience: 5-to-8 years. Closing date for application: 17 January 2010. Read more and apply here. Learn more here.;

To accommodate our continuously expanding operations in Vaughan servicing Ontario and Eastern Canada, Layfield is pleased to announce the opening of its new fabrication and warehousing facility, opened in June 2010. The new facility will offer many benefits, including increased warehousing capacity; easy access to major shipping corridors; new capability to provide quick turnaround fabricated liners with seams up to 250 ft in length; more than 36,000 sq ft of space to stock multiple geosynthetics and other products. Phone contact information remains the same.

Rebecca McWatters from Queens University (Canada) won the 2009 North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS) student paper competition. The award was announced in February at the Geosynthetics 2009 conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. McWatters' paper, "Diffusive Transport of VOCs through a Co-Extruded Geomembrane with a Nylon Barrier for use in Landfill Cover and Contaminant Barrier Systems," was judged on the content and her presentation at the conference. She is working for a PhD under the direction of Professor R. Kerry Rowe at Queens University. Read more about the award.

In May 2010, TenCate Geosynthetics North America introduced TenCate Mirafi® RS580i, a highly engineered, high strength, geosynthetic product for base reinforcement and subgrade stabilization. Today, TenCate Geosynthetics introduces TenCate Mirafi® RS380i, a lighter RS-Series product that will enable designers to continue to provide more economical solutions for roadway reinforcement applications.

The Crestmoor Canyon area near San Francisco is recovering from the early September natural gas blast the killed 8 people and burned almost 40 homes. The homes that survived the fire are now threatened by steep slope erosion. Engineers are racing the impending autumn rains to provide basic erosion control stability to the exposed slope, followed by plans to rebuild retaining walls and other reinforcement measures destroyed in the fire. Learn more here.;

The scope of green roofs on skyscrapers is generally more attention-grabbing, but a look at them on a much smaller scale--such as on a sloped garage roof--may be most useful for those who haven't been exposed to the layered technology. Waterproofing membranes, drainage mats, separation fabrics and erosion control blankets are common to both large and small-scale green roofs. Learn more here.;

With two of its most senior people, Chris Jenner and Hein Jas, retiring at the end of this year, Tensar International's commercial director John Kiely unveils the succession plan: "Knowing that Hein and Chris would be retiring we have had plans in place for some time and are pleased to have two Tensar personnel of immense experience and talent to replace them." Chris Jenner, who headed the technical design side of Tensar International in a 25 year career, handed over the role of Chief Civil Engineer to Chaido Doulala- Rigby (Yuli) almost 12 months ago. Hein Jas hands over the role of Director of Application Technology to Ian Fraser from January 2011.

TenCate Geosynthetics North America has developed a patented, woven geosynthetic for soil stabilization and base course reinforcement applications when differential settlement occurs due to heaving in the subgrade soils. TenCate Mirafi® H2Ri is a wicking geosynthetic created from high-tenacity polypropylene filaments and wicking filaments formed into an innovative weave to provide superior reinforcement strength and soil interaction integrated with high soil retention and wicking capabilities. Read more in the release.

Geosynthetica has 25 expo hall passes to give away to Environmental Connection 2015. The event, which is hosted by the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) Region One, will be...

With an estimated 30 billion pounds of additional polymerization capacity coming online in the Middle East in the next five years, the region stands to become a major plastics processing center. Will geosynthetics be part of this boom in production? How will the Middle East's growth affect global markets? Applied Market Information (AMI) is bringing its one-day "Middle East Plastics Industry Strategy Seminar" to Philadelphia on 4 November 2009. Read a piece on the event from conference coordinator Lauren Fell. Read more.

By Preston Kendall – The International Geosynthetics Society has set a goal of getting geosynthetics engineering information into undergraduate civil engineering programs. This is being accomplished in part through...

SIBUR contracted acquisition of 50% share in the charter capital of BIAKSPLEN LLC, one of the largest Russian manufacturers of biaxially oriented polypropylene film (BOPP). BIAKSPLEN's production facilities include three plants located in Nizhny Novgorod, Kursk and Moscow Regions. The aggregate capacity of BIAKSPLEN product lines is 87 kta. In 2008 BIAKSPLEN consolidated sales reached RUR 3.9 billion. Read more about this acquisition.

The Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa (GIGSA) seeks nominations for its next committee. The current terms end 10 Novembe 2010 during the annual general meeting of GIGSA, which is the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) South Africa chapter. GIGSA seeks 10 new member nominees before 8 October 2010. If more than 10 nominees are accepted, an online election will be held. Download the informational document here (PDF).

UPDATE: The early-bird registration deadline for Geosynthetics Mining Solutions 2014, organized by InfoMine in partnership with SLR Consulting, has been extended to AUGUST 1. This international conference is the first mining...

The France-based public research institute Cemagref has redesigned its logo as part of its new 2020 Strategic Plan. Gone is the old hexagon with its furrows and three colors. In its place, Cemagref’s logo uses a simpler, more modern design. The new oval, Cemagref reports, symbolizes the Earth and its cycles. Blue and green colors reflect nature. And further reinforcing these themes, the words “water and land management” have been added to stress the institute’s environmental-oriented, multi-discipline work. Learn more here.;

The India-based publication the Business Standard has published an article about Emmbi Polyarns and the company's plan to expand its operation significantly, including in canal liners and geotextile market. Emmbi is reportedly pushing its products in Eastern Europe and the Benelux region as the initial stage for growth. Learn more here.;